High school grads get early medical school nod

50 students from Carolina High School are getting a glimpse into many of those occupations through a new health-care careers curriculum at Greenville Health System’s Health Sciences Career Center in the hopes they’ll pursue one of those jobs.
Liv Osby/Greenville/USA TODAY Network/WOCHIT

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Medical students at USC School of Medicine Greenville attending class.(Photo: KEN OSBURN/Staff)Buy Photo

Five students who will be Furman University freshmen next month have won guaranteed admission to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville four years from now under a new program that helps talented high school graduates chart a path to medical school.

“It’s hopefully an opportunity for both Furman and our medical school to attract some of the best and brightest individuals from South Carolina and give them this opportunity to plan ahead and get support and advice from both institutions throughout their journey,” said Dr. Paul Catalana, associate dean for student affairs and admissions at the medical school.

It identifies academically talented high school students interested in becoming physicians who will then have a variety of opportunities as undergraduates to observe medical care, including rounding with residents and at outpatient clinics, Catalana said.

The program is an outgrowth of the partnership between Furman and Greenville Health System, which is a popular school for those pursuing health careers, officials said.

“This program really speaks to the confidence that the medical school has in Furman,” said Brad Pochard, Dean of Admissions and associate vice president for enrollment at Furman. “They are very confident in the Furman education and know that our students are exceptional.”

To remain eligible for medical school while in college, selected students must meet specific academic parameters, such as a 3.5 grade point average and completion of biology, chemistry and physics courses, and comport themselves professionally, Catalana said. Five alternates have been selected in case one of the original five fails in those efforts or changes his mind, he said.

The students can vie for scholarships along with other incoming students, he said.

The Direct Entry program is limited to five students, but other Furman students with strong academic skills can also apply to medical school, Catalana said. Of the 284 students currently enrolled, 31 are from Furman, he said, adding there are generally seven to 12 in each class.

Some 33 colleges are represented in this year’s incoming class, and nearly 70 percent are in-state students with Clemson and USC sending the most, he said.

This is the first year of the Direct Entry program, he said, adding that there are no plans to expand to other schools at the moment.

Similar programs operate at a variety of schools, including Baylor, Brown, George Washington, Howard, the University of Missouri, Penn State and Rutgers, he said.

The students are Samuel Cumby from St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Greenville; Javonia Davis from Charleston Collegiate High School in Johns Island; Sarah Feingold from the Academic Magnet High School in Charleston; Bhumika Jakkaraddi from Southside High School in Greenville; and Riley Taylor from the Greenwood Christian School in Greenwood.